Hockey: Featherstone's new job

GAVIN FEATHERSTONE, the coach who took Olton's women into the Premier League and Oxford University's men into the National League, is back in business. He has been engaged by former National League club Coventry and North Warwick, who finished in the lower reaches of the DTZ Midland Premier League last season.

The club's chairman, Nick Irvine, said yesterday: "We are looking to the man who has coached the USA and South Africa to the Olympics to get us back into the National League."

Featherstone, who has initially given himself two years to obtain success with the club, will be at the helm tomorrow when they play Chesterfield in the first round of the EH Cup.

Old Georgians is another club with National League ambitions and they entertain Horley in the Cup tomorrow having won their Preliminary round game away to Oxshott 4-0.

Paul Way, who last season featured in Teddington's European Cup campaign, has joined the Surrey side as their player-coach and will line up alongside another notable signing, Mahmood Bhatti, the former England and East Grinstead striker. With an array of former National League players in the squad Old Georgians could pose a difficult challenge.

Their neighbours, Old Cranleighans, who reached the quarter-finals of the Cup last season before going down to eventual winners and National League champions Cannock, start their Cup campaign this afternoon away at Hendon.

Eastcote play Premier League Guildford in the team's last warm-up game before their National League season.